2016 Awards

City wins Digital Cities Award for 15th time in 16 years

Dec. 15, 2016 – For the 15th time in 16 years, Hampton has been named one of the top cities in the nation when it comes to using technology to improve citizen services, enhance transparency and encourage citizen engagement. The Center for Digital Government judged dozens of cities based on 10 key characteristics, including being mobile, engaged, connected, efficient and innovative. Hampton came in fourth among cities with a population of 125,000-249,999, based on several factors, including return on investment, progress over the previous year, and successful measures of transparency, privacy and security.

Hampton's budget team wins international award

Nov. 14, 2016 - Hampton's budget team has earned the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, an international awards program in governmental budgeting.This is the 17th time Hampton has won the award, presented locally Wednesday by City Council. The award was established in 1984 by the Government Finance Officers Association to encourage exemplary budgeting practices and to provide peer recognition of government finance officers preparing budget documents. The award for distinguished budget presentation is the highest form of recognition in governmental budgeting. Its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a governmental entity, its budgeting staff and its management.

Bluebird Gap Farm named top petting zoo

Oct. 14, 2016 - Hampton’s Bluebird Gap Farm has been named one of the best petting zoos in the country by AmericanTowns Media, a technology and media content company in Westport, Conn. AmericanTowns noted that at Bluebird Gap Farm - ranked 10 out of 11 listed - “donations and local elbow grease help keep the …. Farm a family-friendly green space.” Others on the list included The Smithsonian National Zoological Park Kids’ Zoo in Washington, D.C. (no. 11); the Denver Zoo in Colorado (no. 2) and the Brookfield Zoo - Hamil Family Wild Encounters, in Brookfield, Ill. (no. 5). You can find the complete list online at www.BestPettingZoos.com.

Hampton named top HBCU engineering supporter

June 8, 2016 - Hampton is the only municipality recently honored as a “top supporter” of engineering programs at one of the nation’s historically black colleges and universities. The nearly 100 organizations agencies honored includes NASA and IBM. News release

Police get EMS "Call of the Year" award

June 2, 2016 - Hampton Police received the "Call of the Year Award" May 28 during the Third Annual EMS Day at Busch Gardens. The award was for the department's life-saving response after a Sept. 20, 2015 crash in which a victims leg was severed. The award was accepted by Ptl. A Komatz, Master Police Officer M. Birdsong, Sgt. R. Gainer, Senior Police C. Frazier, Ptl. A Aronategui and Senior Police Officer R. Franz.

Hampton named 25th most diverse city in U.S.

May 15, 2016 – Hampton is one of the most diverse cities in the United States, according to a recent study that considered social class, ethno-racial, economic and household diversity. The study, conducted by personal and business financial website Wallet Hub using U.S. Census data, noted that diversity can offer economic growth, cultural richness and innovation. Among the 140 midsize cities surveyed, Hampton ranked 5th overall. That means the city had a range of incomes, educational attainment, ethnicities, region of birth, industries, household sizes and ages.